Antifriction-buffer



L.,LARSEN.

ANTIFRICTION BUFFER.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 4. 19I9.

Patented July 20,192.0.

2 SHEETS-SHEET i.

WITNESSES L. LARSEN.

ANTIFRICTION BUFFER.

APPLIcATIoN mm Nov. 4. 1919.

- frm Ano/Mfrs yUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEE LARSEN, OF TAMPICO, MEXICO.

ANTIFRICTIOvN-BUFFER.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented July 20, 1920.

ppueation med November 4, 1919. serial No. 335,587.

To all whom t may concern Be itknown that I, LEE LARSEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Tampico, rIamps, Mexico, have invented a new and useful Antifriction-Buffer, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The present invention relates to an antifriction buifer and has reference more particularly to an anti-friction buffer for docks, wharves, ferry slips, ships and the like, which is adapted to absorb the shock of the impact when a ship is being docked, or when two or more ships are lashed together for towing purposes.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a buffer of the kind above mentioned which will prevent damage to docks as well as ships, when the ships are being docked, as well as to prevent damage to ships when the same are lashed together for towing purposes.

As heretofore practised a ship in making a landing at a wharf or dock rubs against the dock very often with such force as to damage the dock and the ship. This is usually caused by frictional contact of the ship with the. dock. The same conditions prevail when two ships are lashed together, that is to say, they rub. The friction caused thereby damaging one or both of the ships even though the ordinary type of bumpers are used to overcome this effect. These socalled bumpers are inadequate, in that they do not reduce the friction caused by the ships rubbing together. The present invention therefore proposes to provide an anti-friction arrangement which may be used on docks, ships and the like to reduce the friction of the ship with the dock, or when two or more ships-are lashed. together.

In the accompanying drawings, two preferred forms of the invention are illustrated showing the application of the same to a dock, and as a bumper to be inserted between the contacting ,sides of ships when they are lashed together.

In these drawings- Figure 1 is a view of'a side of a dock showing the invention as applied thereto and with the outline of a ship lying at the dock.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2.-2 of Fig. 3 of a bumper form of the invention. i

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3 3 of Flg. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view through the bumper.

Referring to the drawings in detail both that form of the invention which is applied to docks, and the bumper form are constructed substantially alike, with the exi ception that the bumper form is portable so to speak, and is for use between the confronting sides of ships when they are lashed together for' towing purposes.

When the buffer is applied to wharves, the wharf A may be either constructed of concrete or a pile structure, and so arranged as to accommodate the buffer along that side on which the ship is to be docked. In the preferred form of the buffer as applied to docks, a suitable housing 1, is arranged along side of the dock with the anti-friction elements -2, mounted therein, apart of their surface presented beyond the face of the housing so as to contact with the side of the ship, and maintain the same spaced from the housing l, as well as the dock A. Inasmuch as the anti-friction elements 2, are mounted with freedom of rotation in the housing 1, the friction of the ship against the dock will be reduced to a minimum. These anti-frictionI elements preferably comprise relatively large ball bearings, and a plurality of them are mounted in the housing 1, either in the same plane or in staggered relation to each other or in fact in any other appropriate manner.

In that form of the invention, namely the bumper form, the housing l instead of being permanently fixed to a dock is portable so to speak, so that it .may be suspended for instance, by the eye 3, between the confronting sides of a ship so that the anti-friction elements 2 may act to reduce the friction of contact between the ships. Of course while the bumper type may be used between two ships it may also be used on a ship when the .same is docked. The housing 1, primarily involves a three sided structure in which is mounted a plurality of buffer headsfl, each of which provides a mounting for one of the anti-friction elements 2, this mounting preferably comprising a dish-shape recess so constructed as to partially surround an element with the face plate 5 overlying the dish-shape recess with a `portion of the surface of the element exposed through an i face plates.

. springs 7 the buffer heads are provided with the coil shock absorbing springs 7.

yond the bumper. As previously stated these anti-friction elements preferably comprise ball-bearings and in'order that they may revolve with the least possible friction a ball race G is supported in the dish-shape recess within which the ball may revolve.

The buffer heads are constructed with studs threaded bolts 8 which are anchored to the buffer plates with their opposite ends exposed through the back of the housing and made to receive nuts 9 which are received by the threaded ends of the bolts with a bearlng on the outer side of the housing. It willl therefore follow by screwing up on the nuts the buffer heads will be drawn rearwardly compressing the springs 7 and increasing the tension 'under which the 'heads are supported. This tension may be relieved by screwing on the nuts and the adjustment may be made as the occasion demands.

It will be readily seen that the springs 7 will absorb any shock caused by impact of the ship with the balls 2. So long as the contact'is maintained the balls will act to reduce the frictional contact of the ship thus permitting the same to lie next to a dock or an adjacent ship without damaging either the dock or the ships.

It will of course be understood 'in the bumper type any number of balls may be employed, and that the bumper may be made in any size. Also that the balls themselves may be made either solid or hollow as may be found practical.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and ldesire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows 1. In an anti-friction buffer of the class described, an anti-friction element, and a shock absorbing mounting in which said element is supported with freedom o f rotation and with a portion of the contact surface of said element presented beyond the face of said mounting, said mounting comprising a buffer head, a housing, said head being received entirely within said housing with freedom of movement in a direction toward and ,from the force of impact of an object therewith, and shock absorbing means within the housing between the latter and said buffer head.

2. An anti-friction buHer of the class described, as set forth in claim l, in which the shock absorbing means within the housing between the lat-ter and the buffer head are provided with means for adjusting the tension of'said shock absorbing means.

3. Ananti-frictionbufer lof the class described as set forth in claim 1, in which said shock absorbing means comprise a lplurality of springs each disposed between t e buffer head and the housing therefor.

4. An anti-friction buffer of the class described as set forth in claim l, and means for Vadjustablyy positioning said buffer head toward said housing and against said springs for adjusting the shock absorbing tension of said springs.

LEE LARSEN. 

